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Classic-vania fans - Dracula X: PC Engine vs SNES - Which do you prefer?

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sixteen-bit

Member
I noticed in another thread that there are quite a few fans of the SNES version, which is contrary to everything I've heard up until this point.

Where do you stand, and why?
 
There's no contest, really.

PC Engine, all the day. People who choose SNES are just wrong.

Of course, the SNES version have it's qualities...
 
I didn't realize how wrong I was for liking the SNES version until I got Dracula X on PSP.

There's really no contest. Everything feels "off" in the SNES version in comparison from graphics to controls.
 
I think the SNES entry is decent enough on it's own, but it's nowhere near as good as Rondo of Blood.
 
They're really different games. I actually prefer the SNES music for the most part but I cannot say I prefer one gameplay-wise over the other.

Then again, SNES has that hard as nails difficulty while the PCE version is easy as sin, so that tends to tilt it to the SNES favor, for me.
 
Played both and definitely prefer the PC Engine version. I've only gotten to play the PC Engine version recently on the PSP, but everything about it tops the SNES version, from the sound to the graphics to the cutscenes. I've heard the Wii version is even more faithful to the original, might give that a spin someday.
 
SNES versions is considered a butchered port of the classic game.

it's PC Engine=PSP Remake which includes OG release>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>a bird poops on your head during a beautiful spring day>>>>SNES version
 
Both are good games but the PC Engine game is the best classic installment in the series.

The SNES game is NOT a butchered port or even a port at all. It's a different game with light similarities.
 
Far as I can remember I knew the SNES and PCE Castlevania games were different and everyone praised the PCE one. While the SNES one did get praise from some people I chatted with that was mainly because they never played the PCE one.
 
Neither. Castlevania IV will always be the definitive Vania experience for me. Rondo was a step back in terms of gameplay and music (CD quality didn't matter much when it was that cheesy techno rock).
 
I prefer Dracula X. Rondo is great, but I prefer the design and feel of Dracula X. They're very different games despite sharing elements.

This thread is going to be filled with Rondo people. I'd be surprised if the number of people who have played Rondo is anywhere near the amount of people who have played Dracula X. The game gets a bad rap, undeservedly.

Cell_Biology said:
Played both and definitely prefer the PC Engine version. I've only gotten to play the PC Engine version recently on the PSP, but everything about it tops the SNES version, from the sound to the graphics to the cutscenes. I've heard the Wii version is even more faithful to the original, might give that a spin someday.
Click to expand...

The Wii version of Rondo? Like, you mean the Virtual Console version where they just ROM dumped it? Yeah, it's pretty accurate considering it's the actual game lol
 
evilromero said:
Neither. Castlevania IV will always be the definitive Vania experience for me. Rondo was a step back in terms of gameplay and music (CD quality didn't matter much when it was that cheesy techno rock).
Click to expand...

No, it wasn't. It was a step forward. IV was a step back.
 
I've yet to play Dracula X (and SotN!) but Rondo might be my favorite of the series. OoE and AoS right behind it.
 
PC Engine, no contest. SNES is what it is, and I do like it. It's just that the PC Engine version is better.

And I only played that on the PSP.
 
Maedhros said:
No, it wasn't. It was a step forward. IV was a step back.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more.

The original Castlevania to Dracula's Curse was like two steps forward for the series with branching paths and multiple characters (Ignoring II right now in light of how the series progressed, chill out, Simon's Quest fans).

Dracula's Curse to Super Castlevania IV is a huge step back. They moved the formula back to the single path, single character style -- which don't get me wrong, I like, but it was certainly a reduction in scope. Plus it was piss-easy.

Rondo, then, brought back the branching paths, just not the multiple characters. So, two steps forward, two steps back, then one step forward. What a strange path for the franchise formula to take.
 
They are 2 different games. RoB feels like a more complete vision and plays better. Snes looks better, plays worse and is missing stuff. I personally think Rob is better and that's the one they canonized.
 
Sir_Crocodile said:
4 was already inferior to 3 imo
Click to expand...

I enjoyed Curse but having been old enough to experience the huge jump from my favorite NES franchises to their updated versions on the SNES, there was just no contest. IV brought about so many critical changes that have defined the series for me. The more authentic Hammer Horror aesthetic, the more Baroque-style music, the 8-way whipping, whip swinging, crouch-walking, moon-walking, the dreadful menacing quality that lingers through every level. It's just more fun to play when you can actually do what you want with the character. So in that regard Rondo was a huge step backwards. It neutered the series and added an unpleasant quality with the inappropriate music and anime-style.
 
I played and beat both.

While I do like the PCE version due to more stage variety and branching paths.

I do like the SNES arrangement of the PCE version's music.

Although one major negative to the SNES version was how they artificially made the final boss fight more harder then the Turbo Duo version. Instead of fighting in Dracula's Throne Room like in the PCE version / SOTN intro.

Instead you fight on these pillars spread out with instant death pits in between. It was a totally unnecessary change.
 
evilromero said:
In your opinion. I've yet to play a Vania game that has topped IV in terms of controls, level, music or atmosphere.
Click to expand...

But of course.

III was the better game.

IV don't have alternative paths.
IV don't have alternative characters.
IV made the whip completely overpowered and made subweapons look like shit next to it.

And I didn't like the soundfont of the game.

Also, Rondo looks better for me. In fact, I like Bloodlines more than IV.
 
Never thought this was a point of contention with anyone. Interesting to see a difficulty argument for the SNES.

PC-Engine for me.
 
MightyHedgehog said:
Yeah, CV III is the best one in the entire series, IMO. SCV IV was such a disappointment in the gameplay department coming off of the last NES game even if it was amazingly visually gimmicky and had a great soundtrack.
Click to expand...

Where I think I (and many others) differ in our attitude towards liking CIV more than the NES trilogy is that it's more fun to play. I don't really care if something is challenging for challenge sake. It has to be fun. I think there was a point in the late 90s/early 00s when many Vania fans "rediscovered" Curse and proclaimed it superior because of the quasi-SOTN qualities with the branching paths, revisiting old areas, multiple characters. None of that really mattered to me because I'm in for the whole package. I need the full controls, the easy of movement, the atmosphere, the attention to little critical details. If the game doesn't properly simulate that horror experience then it's not for me.
 
There are certainly some preferable elements that can be salvaged from Dracula X. Thought the style of the soundtrack was better. And I could honestly do without voices and cutscenes.
 
OnPoint said:
The Wii version of Rondo? Like, you mean the Virtual Console version where they just ROM dumped it? Yeah, it's pretty accurate considering it's the actual game lol
Click to expand...

From what I read online, they changed the Japanese intro with a German voice, same as the PSP version. But everything else was left intact for the most part.
 
Maedhros said:
But of course.

III was the better game.

IV don't have alternative paths.
IV don't have alternative characters.
IV made the whip completely overpowered and made subweapons look like shit next to it.

And I didn't like the soundfont of the game.

Also, Rondo looks better for me. In fact, I like Bloodlines more than IV.
Click to expand...
None of that really matters to me since IV is just more fun to play. Alternate paths and characters is cool, but it means nothing to me if I'm not having as much fun with game A than I am with game B. It's a pretty critical flaw with most arguments aimed at these games. You saying the whip is overpowered is actually one of my favorite features. I like actually having controls of my character. It grants me a deeper level of agency and brings me closer to the detailed world in the game. At the end of the day the argument can't really go much beyond, "I just have more fun with this game than I do that one."
 
evilromero said:
None of that really matters to me since IV is just more fun to play. Alternate paths and characters is cool, but it means nothing to me if I'm not having as much fun with game A than I am with game B. It's a pretty critical flaw with most arguments aimed at these games. You saying the whip is overpowered is actually one of my favorite features. I like actually having controls of my character. It grants me a deeper level of agency and brings me closer to the detailed world in the game. At the end of the day the argument can't really go much beyond, "I just have more fun with this game than I do that one."
Click to expand...

That's cool. We'll agree to disagree then. Just pointing my oppinion, since I've played Castlevania III before IV.
 
evilromero said:
Where I think I (and many others) differ in our attitude towards liking CIV more than the NES trilogy is that it's more fun to play. I don't really care if something is challenging for challenge sake. It has to be fun. I think there was a point in the late 90s/early 00s when many Vania fans "rediscovered" Curse and proclaimed it superior because of the quasi-SOTN qualities with the branching paths, revisiting old areas, multiple characters. None of that really mattered to me because I'm in for the whole package. I need the full controls, the easy of movement, the atmosphere, the attention to little critical details. If the game doesn't properly simulate that horror experience then it's not for me.
Click to expand...
That's fine, but for me, CV was always about how varied and challenging it was as a primary attribute, mixing its platforming and combat together with harsh, pattern-based bosses. The horror/Hammer/Universal monster theme was the window dressing that gave it personality and the music gave it heart. The rest was still built on the design and it's 'one more time' hook. I just consider SCV IV and the RPG-based Metroidvanias to be less interesting because they so heavily de-emphasize the 'tough but fair' design of the original Classicvania games.
 
This is no contest. But both are good games in their own right, however, the music alone obliterates the Snes-version imo.
 
evilromero said:
None of that really matters to me since IV is just more fun to play. Alternate paths and characters is cool, but it means nothing to me if I'm not having as much fun with game A than I am with game B. It's a pretty critical flaw with most arguments aimed at these games. You saying the whip is overpowered is actually one of my favorite features. I like actually having controls of my character. It grants me a deeper level of agency and brings me closer to the detailed world in the game. At the end of the day the argument can't really go much beyond, "I just have more fun with this game than I do that one."
Click to expand...

It could have been so much better though if they had actually designed and balanced the game around the new whip mechanic. It's like they just threw it in there when the game was nearly finished.
 
Cell_Biology said:
From what I read online, they changed the Japanese intro with a German voice, same as the PSP version. But everything else was left intact for the most part.
Click to expand...

The gameplay is exactly the same though. So I would still hesitate to call it a "Wii version" because that implies something other than unimportant audio has changed.

Edit:

OmegaDL50 said:
Even the original PCE Turbo Duo release had a German Narration for the intro, however it had Japanese subtitles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkEGFo6GhOo
Click to expand...

Well there you go.
 
Maedhros said:
That's cool. We'll agree to disagree then. Just pointing my oppinion, since I've played Castlevania III before IV.
Click to expand...

Same. I grew up playing the NES series before we even got an SNES (I'm 33 so this isn't some stubborn attempt to just disagree with the forum's popular opinion). So the jump from Curse to Super was just huge for me. I can still pick it up and play through it in one sitting and just enjoying the ride.
 
Morfeo said:
This is no contest. But both are good games in their own right, however, the music alone obliterates the Snes-version imo.
Click to expand...
That's the one area where I actually think the SNES version wins especially considering it's not using redbook audio. The audio quality is, of course, higher on PC engine as a result of this but I really really like the SNES sound here and find it particularly impressive for the ol' SPC700.

SNES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZAkrvbsrBs&index=13&list=PL1F5527A711160ADF

PC Engine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHzduvrSPy8&index=3&list=PLC80981F647D97D1E
 
evilromero said:
I don't really care if something is challenging for challenge sake. It has to be fun.
Click to expand...

This is where I differ in opinion from people. Castlevania I and III are not "challenging for challenge sake". Everything is set up intentionally. It's up to the player to react to the design either through practice or proper planning. The games are difficult, but they are beatable if you play them the way they're supposed to be played. Most people try to run-and-gun their way through these titles, and that's wrong. It's been a while since I played IV, but I remember being able to do that for the most part. And that, to me, is not what Castlevania is, and is a big part of why I do not prefer IV.
 
I gotta go with the PC Engine by a landslide. The branching paths and different bosses really encourage exploration. The game also makes it easier by allowing you to visit specific levels.

The SNES has a way better Dracula battle though. Its so hard to fight him on all those little pillars. Bonus points for the fire effect in the first level.
 
MightyHedgehog said:
That's fine, but for me, CV was always about how varied and challenging it was as a primary attribute, mixing its platforming and combat together with harsh, pattern-based bosses. The horror/Hammer monster theme was the window dressing that gave it personality and the music gave it heart. The rest was still built on the design and it's 'one more time' hook. I just consider SCV IV and the RPG-based Metroidvanias to be less interesting because they so heavily de-emphasize the 'tough but fair' design of the original Classicvania games.
Click to expand...

Right, I mean even the Castlevania Bloodlines, John Morris had some fancy whip moves however the game's difficulty and balance accounted for this.

Unlike some of the tricks you can do in the SNES such as holding the attack button down with the whip just hang from a ledge and it does chip damage to the boss cheesing the fight for an easy victory while you huddle in a corner safely without getting damaged.

I mean outside of the using the wonky ledge swing mechanic and the one stage you use the whip to hang from a ledge while the stage spins just to show off some Mode 7 rotation thing, the 8-way whip just seemed to be there.
 
PCE is better.

I do like Dracula X a lot though. Sometimes I prefer it to SCIV. Was not a fan of the 8 way whipping as it makes the game feel a bit braindead at times.
 
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